Have you ever said this? “I was so bad this weekend…” and then follow up with a list of foods you indulged in? Or maybe you have said “I need to workout EVERY DAY this week to make up for my bad weekend of eating.”
I am guilty of BOTH!
We are used to thinking of food choices as ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ and there seems to be an increasing long list of foods we feel is forbidden.
Why do we feel like we must apologize or feel guilty for enjoying certain foods? We have trained our brains to believe that is if we can eat the right amount of the right foods we will have the ideal shape and the ideal life to go with it…but if we eat the forbidden foods we will forever be unhealthy and weak and destined to deal with our shame.
Years of dieting and thinking if we want to lose weight we can’t eat that…and we must eat this…has caused many of us to have an unhealthy relationship with food.
Here are ten tips to help you break the habit, eat without guilt, stop labeling foods as good or bad, and maybe even help you reach your goals!
1. After a meal or snack, pay attention to how you feel. Without judging yourself, ask yourself if you like the way you feel. Did you indulge too much, or do you feel comfortably satisfied? Stop and appreciate how food makes you feel. Pay attention to your satiety signals.
2. Eat intuitively. If you are hungry at 11 AM, pay attention to your body and eat your lunch. You do not have to follow mealtime rules.
3. Notice your language and stop yourself from calling your choices ‘good’ or ‘bad’ - for example instead of saying “I know I should get a salad, but I am going to be bad and get this burger” , say “I am really hungry for a burger so I am going to fill my craving and really enjoy my meal.”
4. Eat mindfully. Take your time and savor every bite. It is okay to be the last one at the table still eating, and it is also okay to feel full and not ‘clean your plate’. It is not a race. You have permission to eat anything you want. YOU are in control. The rule to remember is that you should enjoy every single bite.
5. Avoid ‘beating yourself up’ or punishing yourself for indulging in a meal that you think may have been too indulgent. Try not to think that due to your weekend partying you must spend extra hours at the gym. If this is something that you genuinely enjoy that is different, but to treat your workouts as punishment for your food choice will ultimately end up creating a negative cycle. If you DO NOT accomplish your gym goals for the week, you have that much more to feel badly about.
6. Remember the 80/20 rule and allow indulgences within your week and even within every day! The all or nothing rule and being overly strict will usually end with you feeling deprived. Normal eating should be flexible. Even if you do have a dessert or meal that you know is not the best for your weight loss goals, remind yourself that you do not usually eat like this and just move on! Enjoy all foods in moderation. Realize that life happens and it is okay to have a piece of birthday cake at your friends party! Telling yourself you cannot have something usually makes you want it even more!
7. Acknowledge how you are feeling without judgement and be kind to yourself. Just as you would not berate someone you loved for eating an extra dessert, you should not berate yourself. Have compassion for yourself. Remind yourself that you are worthy regardless if you ate a piece of pie or an apple. The foods you choose to eat do not dictate your worth.
8. Realize that your health and weight loss journey is about much more than the food you eat. When it comes down to it, food guilt is a habit just as are other factors that affect our overall health such as our sleep, stress levels, and self-care.
9. Remind yourself that you are learning as you go, and it is okay to not be perfect.
10. Start to view food as fuel for your body and look for nutrient rich foods that will make your feel good, but remember it is essential to also enjoy foods that treat our senses and our taste buds. Respect your body and trust yourself. Weight loss is a process and life is about balance. Enjoy the journey.
